Ryan Adams cover of 1989 is the perfect alternative album for fall.
Just when I finally began to calm down after the hype I felt about Taylor Swift’s 1989, Ryan Adams released his alternative-rock cover version of the entire album. It has played the role as my constant background music the past week or so since the full album has been released. The melancholy vocals and acoustic guitar rifts are perfect for walking around campus, doing homework and falling asleep.
Being the “Swiftee” that I am, I knew I was destined to love this album for the simple fact that it’s a Taylor Swift cover. However, I don’t think I fully understood that I could love a cover record almost as much as I loved the original *gasp.*
The record begins with a sample of seagull noises, which is undoubtedly a connection to Swift’s 1989 album cover. “Welcome to New York,” “Blank Space” and “Out of The Woods” are all given soft, sad makeovers that make them perfect songs for gloomy days.
“Style” is undoubtedly my favorite song on the album. It’s given a gritty alternative rock edge that really shows Adams’s vocal talent. The entire mood of the song really fits the James Dean classic love theme.
“All You Had To Do Was Stay” is transformed into a beachy acoustic tune that makes me feel warm and fuzzy, despite the fact that the actual lyrics are about loss. I love the way Adams experimented with melodies in contrast to the songs’ themes, similar to the way Swift did in the original version of this song. I feel like it could be somewhat easier to sing this song in a sad, piano ballad way, but Adams chose to channel Swift’s concept while still transforming it in his original way.
Adams takes “Bad Blood,” aka the girl power anthem of 2015, and turns it into a romantic-sounding folk song that flows nicely into his dreamy rendition of “Wildest Dreams.” Both of these very different Swift singles are now two well-fitting love songs, and I am so obsessed with it.
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The rendition of “I Know Places” incorporates many different elements that make it very different from the original version. It has a Southwestern-sounding undertone while also incorporating folk-rock elements. I think it is the most unique transformation on this album, as it was taken in a totally different direction than the other songs Adams covered.
Adams wraps up the album nicely with “Clean,” which incorporates a lot of the beachy acoustic sounds that are cohesive throughout the album. I think it fits the message of the song, as it isn’t necessarily a sad ballad, but it has an underlying melancholy feeling displayed through folk vocals.
Ryan Adams ingeniously took one of the albums of the year and made it his own romantic alternative album while keeping Taylor Swift’s overall themes present. I am so happy to be able to live in a world where there is more than one version of 1989 that I am able to obsess over.
@_alexdarus
ad019914@ohio.edu
